When you have your own insiders working the government for you, there's no need to spend billions on trying to bribe politicians. You can have your own people do it for you...

Big Agri has been putting its own cronies into the halls of Congress, the Senate, and even the White House for decades now. You can't throw a stone in DC without hitting a current or former Big Agri employee.

The FDA and USDA tend to have the biggest collection of these employees, because these agencies have the biggest influence over US food policy. But Big Agriculture's quest for power doesn't just end with the direction of these major policy makers — they're just about everywhere these days, as you're about to see...

Monsanto Mover #1: Clarence Thomas

That's right, the Clarence Thomas, one of the 9 justices of the US Supreme Court, the top court in the entire country. Thomas was an attorney for Monsanto from 1976 to 1979.

If his involvement with Monsanto ended there, that would be one thing. However, Monsanto likes to use the court system and its political influence to push its frankenseeds into our lives. And since Clarence Thomas is a member of the top court in the US, Monsanto has found itself in front of him more than once...

Ethically speaking, Justice Thomas should disqualify himself from presiding over any judgments that involve Monsanto because of his past experience with them — it's a simple conflict of interest.

However, not only has Mr. Thomas refused to step down for Monsanto cases, but he has ruled in their favor every time!1

It's clear that Clarence would rather protect the interests of his corporate donors than the American people.

Monsanto Mover #2: Michael Taylor

Micheal Taylor is a lawyer. And one of the bigger jobs he held as a lawyer was as the vice president for public policy at Monsanto...

In other words, it was his job to deal with his buddies in DC and get them to enact Monsanto-friendly policies while blocking any attempt to regulate their environmentally destructive business practices.

This one comes straight from the FDA's website2...

A nationally recognized food safety expert, Mr. Taylor has served in numerous high-level positions at FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), as a research professor in the academic community, and on several National Academy of Sciences expert committees studying food-related issues.

Taylor has overseen the introduction of Monsanto's genetically engineered bovine growth hormone (rbGH/rbST) into America's milk supply while hunting down raw milk advocates for consuming “unsafe” milk (talk about a hypocrite)3; he was key in introducing GMOs to US households4; and has helped ship billions of dollars worth of GMO food aid to Africa5 (it's hard to turn down freak food when you're starving).

And he is still at the FDA to this day, as the Deputy Commissioner for Foods and Veterinary Medicine.

Monsanto Mover #3: Islam Siddiqui

Mr. Siddiqui was once a registered lobbyist for CropLife America, which is a lobbying firm that represents the likes of Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont, and Dow — a collection of GMO and food chemical giants.

You don't need to do an FBI background check to see where his loyalties lie...

Which is why the world should be troubled that he was the Chief Agricultural Negotiator for the Office of the US Trade Representative. In other words, he was our food ambassador.

He resigned from the job in December, but his time at the post gave Big Agriculture a prime position to push GMOs and chemically laden food into the international market. This has been a source of conflict for much of the international food trade, as places like the European Union and Russia refuse to let in GMO foods6, while smaller countries that lack the political power of the EU and Russia often have no other choice but to accept the GMOs or see their own trade shrivel up.

Monsanto Mover #4: President Barack Obama

It's fair to say that Obama has actually never worked for Monsanto...

However, he is in charge of making many political appointments. And he has not shied away from appointing Big Agriculture-friendly people — including lobbyists and former employees — into the top echelons of food policy makers and shakers.

Outside of the ones listed above, some of his more distasteful appointments (note, these either work for Big Agri companies other than Monsanto, or are no longer employed by the government):

Tom Vilsack, commissioner of the USDA and former governor of Iowa, Governor of the Year Award by the Biotechnology Industry Organization, whose members include Monsanto7

Ramona Romero, an attorney for the USDA, former attorney for DuPont (a big producer of pesticides and herbicides)8

Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State, once worked for a law firm that counseled Monsanto9

Elena Kagan, current Supreme Court Justice, once argued on Monsanto's behalf as a federal solicitor general10

It's under these folks that we've witnessed an unparalleled explosion in the introduction of GMO products onto American farmland and grocery store shelves, including11:

Monsanto GMO alfalfa.

Monsanto GMO sugar beets.

Monsanto GMO Bt soybean.

Syngenta GMO corn for ethanol.

Syngenta GMO stacked corn.

Pioneer GMO soybean.

Syngenta GMO Bt cotton.

Bayer GMO cotton.

A GMO papaya strain.

As long as Monsanto, DuPont, Cargill, Dow, and other chemical and agricultural companies continue to pump millions of dollars into their lobbying efforts, that list will only continue to get longer.

There are two ways you can help put a stop to them.

The first is to be a public advocate about your food. Tell your friends and family about the invasion of chemical laden GMOs into your grocery store. Emphasize building relationships with local farmers and learn how they grow their produce and fatten their animals. Spread the word about the benefits of going organic.

The second way to stop Big Agri is by cutting of their lifeline — cash. Stop buying processed foods and non-organic fruits and veggies that utilize Big Agri's chemicals and seeds. This is where being a public advocate will help...

The more you inform people about what they're putting into their stomachs, the more people will decide to stop buying Monsanto-tainted products, and the more Big Agriculture's wallets will dry up.

You have the power. The time to take action and protect your food source is now.

Yours in health,

Ken Swearengen

Do you have any questions, concerns, or comments about this article or any other health topic? Please share them with me via Twitter @HealthwireKen, or "Like" our Health Wire Facebook page and post your message on our wall.

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